EP0041663A1

EP0041663A1 - Bag closure

Info

Publication number: EP0041663A1
Application number: EP81104127A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jerre Hale Paxton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-06-09
Filing date: 1981-05-29
Publication date: 1981-12-16
Also published as: US4361935A; DE3168278D1; DK247381A; AU541017B2; EP0041663B1; JPS5722710A; JPS6225363B2; AU7117281A; DK148589B; CA1162035A; DK148589C

Abstract

Several unique bag closure features are presented, with one embodiment having a bag-neck confining opening (16) provided with inwardly depending appendages (18) peripherally spaced from one another and with blunted ends (20) to protect the bag, but with sharp corners (22) to hold the bag. Another feature of the invention is a perforated plastic bag closure, with the perforations being arranged in a unique pattern to maximize the strength of the closure while reducing its weight. A third feature is a plurality of interconnected, flat, generally rigid closures which are joined in an elongated strip by sets of transversely spaced but outwardly, generally convex webs which space the adjoined, adjacent closures from one another yet leave a smooth web when the closures are separated by breaking the webs.

Description

Technical Field

This invention pertains to closures formed of flat material for holding closed the necks of flexible bags and to strips of. such closures which can be separated by breaking the connections between adjacent closures on the strip.

Background Art

The first invention of this application pertains to a flat, generally rigid bag closure of the type having a side edge, bag-neck access opening which joins an enlarged central bag-neck confining aperture. This type of closure is well known, with typical examples being shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,164,250 and 3,822,441, and British Specification No. 1,409,426. These closures have all included a bag-neck confining aperture, with the shape of the aperture differing from a generally smooth peripheral edge, as in.Patent No. 3,164,250, to a plurality of sharpened points, as in Patent No. 3,822,441, or, as in British Specification No. 1,409,426, a pair of blunted, inward protrusions. In one other known closure of this type, protrusions of the type shown in the British specification terminate in sharp points for better gripping the bag neck.
The purpose of sharpened points on the protrusions or appendages extending into the bag-neck confining aperture is to grip the neck of the bag to keep it from moving lengthwise of the bag out of the closure and to keep the bag from moving laterally back out through the bag-neck access opening. The location and shape of the protrusions within the bag-neck confining opening, however, are critical. Whereas the smooth type of aperture, such as in Patent No. 3,164,250, will hold many bags, it tends to slide on some types of plastic bag materials. On the other hand, the sharp-pointed protrusions in the bag-neck confining opening of the closure in Patent No. 3,822,441, while ideally suited for open-mesh net bags, will perforate or tear some types of plastic bag materials. The protrusions in British Specification No. 1,409,426, and with sharpened ends on the protrusion of the type shown in the British specification, have tended to follow the worst features of both having not a sufficient number of sharpened points for good holding of most plastic bag materials, but where sharpened, having the location of the points in poor locations for good bag holding but tending to cause bag perforation or tearing.

Disclosure of the Invention

It is thus an object of this invention to provide a flat closure of the type having a side edge bag-access opening to a bag-neck confining aperture in which a plurality of spaced, inwardly extending appendages are provided to better hold plastic-film bag materials without damaging the bag material.
It is another object of this invention to provide a flat closure of the type having a side edge access opening to a bag-neck confining aperture in which there are a plurality of peripherally spaced appendages which separately hold multiple folds of the bag neck material for greater resistance to sliding on the bag neck.
Basically, these objects are achieved by providing a flat, generally rigid closure having a side edge, bag-neck access opening which joins a bag-neck confining aperture, the bag-neck confining aperture having a periphery defined by a plurality of peripherally spaced, inwardly extending appendages, each having a blunted inner edge and at least one bag-gripping sharp corner and wherein the spaces between and around said appendages receive the neck of the bag, with the sharp corners holding the flexible bag against endwise and sidewise movement through the closure. In the preferred embodiment, sharpened jaws define the access opening and three spaced, additional appendages are provided, with the blunted inner edges of the appendages facing towards the center of the aperture and each terminating in opposite pairs of sharpened corners which generally face the corners of adjacent appendages and jaws of the access opening. The multiple sharpened corners hold the flexible, slippery plastic material well regardless of the type of material and amount of material being fed into the bag-neck confining aperture. The blunted edges, however, press more gently against the bag material to reduce penetration or tearing of the bag material by the sharpened corners. In one embodiment, the appendages and jaws of the access opening provide eight different points of bag gripping while allowing the bag to wrap itself into the spaces around and between the points for better gripping of the bag neck material. In a second embodiment, the corners of the side appendages facing said bag-access opening are sloped to converge inwardly for ease of pushing the bag into the bag-neck confining aperture. It is particularly advantageous to have one of the appendages directly aligned with the bag-access side opening and with its blunted edge facing the opening so that bag neck material being fed in through the bag-access opening will not snag on the appendage, allowing the material to be fed completely into the aperture and reducing the chance of tearing the bag material as it is fed or pushed in through the access opening.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. lA is an end-for-end attached multi-closure strip employing principles of the inventions.
Fig. 1B is a side-by-side strip of multiple closures showing another embodiment.
Fig. 1C shows still a third embodiment of a multi-closure strip.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged isometric of a closure embodying some of the principles of these inventions shown on the neck of a plastic bag.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the closure shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a multi-closure strip of solid closures of the type shown in Figs. 1, with fracture points for a multi-closure strip as shown in Fig. 1A and with a bag neck confined within the bag-neck confining aperture of the closure.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Of the several inventions disclosed in this application, the description will be directed first to the bag-neck confining opening, then to the technique for attaching multi-closures in a strip form, and finally, to the lightweight closure. It should be understood, however, that each of the these inventions is usable in combination with the. other inventions, with the drawings being provided to represent various embodiments, all, however, usable alone or in the combination illustrated. As best shown in Fig. 4, the closures 10 and 11 form part of a multi-closure strip of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,164,250, in side-by-side arrangement. Similarly, Fig. lA shows a multi-closure strip with the closures 10A and llA being in an end-for-end arrangement, such as shown in Patent No. 3,164,249. The closure in all embodiments is made of a flat springy plastic, generally rigid, such as a .0032 inch gauge polystyrene, with a side-edge, bag-neck access opening 14 which is joined with a bag-neck confining aperture 16.
The bag-neck confining aperture 16 in the invention of this application is provided with appendages 17, 18, and 19, each of which has a blunt forward edge 20 and opposite corners 21 and 22. Corners facing the access opening on the two side appendages are preferably sloped as in Fig. 3 to allow the bag to pass freely into the aperture 16. These appendages are peripherally spaced from one another, preferably equidistantly, to define bag-receiving recesses 24. Preferably, appendage 19 is aligned with the bag-neck access opening so that as the bag is pushed into the aperture 16, it will hit the blunt surface 20 of appendage 19 and be free to slide laterally and accumulate in folds in each of the recesses 24. With the corners opposed to one another and surrounding the recesses 24, it can be seen that good bag gripping is provided regardless of whether a little amount of bag material is fed into the aperture or a lot of material is fed into the aperture. An example is shown in closure 10 of Fig. 4, with the bag material identified by reference character B. The blunt edges 20 of each of the appendages also provide a smooth non-snagging surface to spread the bag material toward the sharp corners, with the corners protruding only a slight amount, so that there is little chance for perforation of the bag material.
Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of this invention that includes a set of transversely spaced webs 30 and 32 on one side edge of the closure and a second set of webs 34 and 36 transversely spaced relative to the strip on the opposite edge of the closure. These webs are joined at very narrow points of fracture 37 and 38. The webs have substantial thickness in the length direction of the strip and are spaced from one another transversely of the length direction of the strip. The thickness provides adequate spacing between adjacent closures for manipulating the closures and the transverse spacing gives good stability to the closures in strip form for handling and for controlled separation. The webs have enlarged bases surrounding the points of attachment 37 and 38 so that when separated from the strip, as in Fig. 2 or 3, the base provides a generally rounded, shielding surface to the points of fracture.
Fig. lA shows the closures arranged end-for-end on the strip. Fig. lB shows a strip of multi-closures with the webs 34 and 36 being formed only on one of the side edges of the closure, with the points of fracture 37 and 38 lying generally in the plane of the edge of the next closure in the strip.
Figs. 2 and 3 also show a closure having holes joined by connecting webs 46, 40, 42 and 44 for making a lower plastic content closure.
While the various inventions and the embodiments of the various inventions have been illustrated and described, it should be understood that variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the principles herein. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawing.

Claims

1. A side opening closure for closing the neck of a flexible bag or the like, comprising:

a body of flat, generally rigid material having a bag-neck confining aperture and a bag-access opening to said aperture through a side-edge of the body, said access opening dividing the body on opposite sides thereof into a pair of jaws;

said bag-neck confining aperture having a peripheral outline defined by a plurality of peripherally spaced, inwardly extending appendages each having a blunted inner edge and at least one sharp bag-gripping corner, and wherein the spaces between and around said appendages define recesses to receive the neck of the bag with the sharp corners holding the flexible bag against endwise and sidewise movement through the closure.

2. The closure of claim 1, said sharp corners on adjacent appendages confronting one another.

3. The closure of claim 1, said blunted inner edge of each appendage facing generally centrally inward of said bag-neck confining aperture.

4. The closure of claim 1, said appendages including a first appendage aligned with and facing said access opening, and second and third appendages aligned at right angles to said first appendage and opposite one another, each said appendage having a blunted inner edge facing centrally inward of said bag-neck confining aperture and each appendage having its inner edge terminating in a pair of sharp corners, with the sharp corners of peripherally adjacent appendages being opposed to one another.

5. The closure of claim 1, wherein at least one appendage is opposite the bag-access opening, with a blunted edge facing the access opening to protect the bag against tearing and binding as the bag is pushed into said aperture.

6. The closure of claim 1, wherein there are side appendages spaced on either side of said bag-access opening, and with such side appendages each having an inwardly sloped corner facing said bag-access opening.